SILVER CITY — A crowd of area movers and shakers settled into the Silver City Museum Annex for the quarterly meeting of the New Mexico Tourism Commission on Friday afternoon.

The Commission and the Tourism Association of New Mexico decided to hold their meeting in Silver City after they heard about the Tamal Fiesta y Mas through their close work with the Southwest New Mexico Green Chamber of Commerce and other area tourism groups.

The panel, which includes commissioners Al Lucero, Selena L. Chino, Chris Stagg and Randy Randall, Commission Chairman Ted Garcia and Tourism Association of New Mexico Cabinet Secretary Monique Jacobson, discussed the status of the "New Mexico True" campaign, initiatives to bring tourism to southern New Mexico, legislative talking points, and laws affecting businesses whose presence in the state would bolster the economy.

The crowd featured representatives of the Gila National Wilderness, Grant County Prospectors, the Silver City Museum, the Green Chamber, the Tour of the Gila bicycle race, the Grant County Trails group and State Rep. Rudy Martinez, just to name a few.

The New Mexico True advertising campaign is designed to take advantage of the state's beautiful landscape and inform people around the country about the culture, history, and natural qualities New Mexico brings to the table as a tourism destination. One of the campaign's main features is a series of ads featuring a large photograph of a tourist site in the state and a fact with "True" or "False" boxes.

The True campaign has run in the California and now Chicago markets with goals to increase its presence in Chicago.

Advertisement

The commission has seen a 50 to 300 percent increase in website visits in the markets into which the ads have already run.

The campaign also has an asset website where communities can go create their own ads. Silver City has done just that, and it is clear this community is not just another small town in New Mexico.

"Silver City is a perfect example of a community maintaining its own spirit while working with True," said Jacobson, so has worked closely with the Silver City Visitor Center over the last few months.

Any business can go to www.newmexico.org and follow instructions to be listed on the site for free. When a business does so, its business or event is also sent directly to New Mexico magazine.

The campaign seems to be working. In the 2010-2011 season, New Mexico saw a 5 percent growth in overall visitors, a 12 percent growth in people making New Mexico their main destination and a 9 percent growth in average spending per trip to the state.

The commissioners also urged locals to speak with their local legislators to support measures that will bolster tourism.

"Tourism pays for about 4,000 teachers' salaries in New Mexico a year," Jacobson said. "Without the money it brings in, taxes would be $747 higher for the average household. So, people who think they're not affected by tourism, they are."

"It's important our legislators know this isn't about throwing money into this thing called advertising," said commissioner Randall. "It isn't. It is a proven process."

One of the big topics was New Mexico losing competitiveness to other states in regard to the space travel industry. A bill last year that would have provided limited liability protection to spaceport parts suppliers failed to pass in the Legislature. Similar laws have been passed in Florida, Texas, Colorado and Virginia, making them potentially more appealing to industry giants like Virgin Galactic who have been associated with Spaceport America, commissioners said.

The commission then opened the meeting up to public input, where several folks asked for a list of legislators who were going to be making the decisions in question. They were given the House Appropriations and the Senate Finance committees as good gateways, but told to speak, too, with local representatives.

More of the crowd came forward to discuss the fire season image and problems with strict liquor laws making business and tourism difficult. The panel gave advice as to organizations' future steps.

In response to all of these concerns, Chairman Garcia invited everyone present to the state Tourism Day in Santa Fe on Jan. 29, where lawmakers, the commission and tourism leaders will be meeting and discussing tourism issues with the public.

Check back with the Sun-News for more information on Tourism Day opportunities.